Slack adjuster



July' 9, 1946;

N. FLESCH SLACK ADJUSTER Filed Jan. 21, 1944 406' dOLL INVENTOR. BYjZOLflZa/b Qy fesqft Patented July 9, 1,946

SLACK ADJUSTER Norman Flesch, Chicago, 111., assignor to American SteelFoundries, Chicago, 111., a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationJanuary 21, 1944, Serial No. 519,227

9 Claims.

1 My invention relates to slack adjusters and more particularly to aslack adjuster for a pull rod such as is commonly utilized in railwaybrake rigging.

An object of my invention is to design a twopiece pull rod, one piece ofwhich comprises a slack adjuster body with a rotatable adjusting membermounted therein, the other piece of said rod being formed with athreaded portion in complementary threaded engagement with the adjustingmember.

Another object of my invention is to design a slack adjuster device ofthe above described type in which the adjusting member comprises ahousing for the reception of the threaded extremity of the associatedpullrod piece, said housing affording a convenient receptacle forlubricant, if desired.

Still another object of my invention is to provide means for yieldinglyresisting rotation of the adjusting member, thus preventing accidentalrotation thereof, as a result of vibrations set up in the pull rod underservice conditions.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one embodiment of my novel slackadjuster pull rod, portions of the structure being broken away in orderto clarify the illustration.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the device shown in Figure l with aportion thereof broken away.

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken in the plane indicated by the line 33of Figure l. I

Figures 4 to 6 inclusive illustrate a modification of my invention,Figure 4 being a side elevation with portions of the structure brokenaway, Figure 5 being a bottom plan view with a portion of the structurebroken away, and Figure 6 being a sectional view taken in the planeindicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Describing my invention in detail and referring first to the embodimentthereof illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, my novel slack adjusterpull rod comprises two pull rod members or pieces 2 and 4, eachcomprising a jaw B with a pin hole opening 8 therethrough, said openingbeing formed and arranged for the reception of a brake pin, affordingsecurement for an associated element, such as a brake lever, within thejaw 6.

The member 4 is formed with a slack adjuster body 10 having an opening12 (Figure 1) at one end thereof for the reception of a rotatableadjusting member 14, said adjusting member being in the form of a sleeve0r collar having an integral flange or shoulder 16 in complementaryengagement with a shoulder I8 formed within the body 10. A collar 20 isshrunk on the adjusting member 14 and bears as at 22 against the body,thus maintaining the member 14 in normal assembled relationshiptherewithin. An Alemite fitting 24 provides means for lubricating thebody opening 12, within which the adjusting member 14 rotates.

The member 2 of the pull rod comprises the threaded extremity 26 incomplementary threaded engagement as at 28 with the rotatable adjustingmember 14, within which the threaded portion 26 is received, the innerextremity of the member 14 within the body 10 affording a housing 33 forthe reception of the extremity of the threaded portion 26; and it willbe understood that said housing 30 may afford a convenient receptacle,if desired, for any suitable lubricant, such as grease, for theextremity of the threaded portion 26.

The outer end of the adjusting member 14 is provided with awrench-engaging, nut-like portion 32 affording means for engagement withan associated actuating member, such as a wrench, by means of which theadjusting member l4 may be rotated in order to lengthen or shorten thepull rod as desired.

Accidental rotation of the adjusting member 14 is prevented by means ofa pair of ball elements 34, 34, (Figure 2), eachbeing mounted within ahousing 36 in the slack adjuster body 10 and being urged by means of aspring 38 into engagement with the adjacent surface of the shrink collar20, which is provided with a pair of complementary recesses adapted forthe reception of the respective balls 34, 34 when registered therewith.It will be understood that when the balls 34, 34 are received within theassociated recesses in the collar 20, they are operable to restrain theadjusting member 14 against rotation, thus preventing accidentalrotation thereof due to vibrations such as may be set up in the pull rodunder service conditions. However, when it is desired to rotate theadjusting member 14, sufiicient force may be'applied with a wrench tothe nut-like portion 32 of the member 14, whereby the balls 34, 34 areurged inwardly into the housings 36, 35 against the resistance of thesprings 38,33.

Referring now to the modification illustrated in Figures 4 to 6inclusive, the slack adjuster device comprises the pull rod members orpieces I02 and 104, the member 104 comprising the slack adjuster body106 formed in part by the spaced top and bottom straps H18 and H0. Thebody I06 comprises the opening H2, within which is mounted the rotatableadjusting member H4, which is in threaded engagement as at H6 with thethreaded portion I [8 of the pull rod piece I02, the extremity of thethreaded portion H8 being received withinthe housing I formed within theadjusting member I14.

The inner extremity of the adjusting member H4 in the body I98 isprovided with a wrenchengaging or nut portion I22 for engagement with anassociated actuating member such as a wrench, and in this connection itmay be noted that each of the top and bottom straps IE8 and Hi] isbeveled at 24, I24 to afford clearance for the wrench.

It will be understood that the embodiment illustrated in Figures 4 to 6inclusive is substan-- tially identical with that shown in Figures 1 to3, except for the fact that the nut portion I22 oi the adjusting portion1 i i is disposed at the inner extremity thereof within the body m6.

It is to be understood that I do not wish to be limited by the exactembodiments of the device shown which are merely by way of illustrationand not limitation as various and other forms of the device will, ofcourse, be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing fromthe spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

i. In a slack adjuster, a two-piece pull rod, the respective pieces ofwhich are provided with connecting means on their remote extremities, abody carried by one of said pieces, a collar rotatably mounted in saidbody, and a threaded portion on the other of said pieces in threadedengagement with said collar, said collar comprising a housing withinsaid body completely encasing the extremity of said portion.

2. In a slack adjuster pull rod, a pull rod member comprising anintegral jaw at one end thereof and an integral body at the opposite endthereof, an adjusting member rotatable within said body, said adjustingmember comprising a wrench-engaging portion at the inner end thereof, acollar on said adjusting member rotatable therewith, said collarcomprising a recess, a spring-pressed ball element mounted in said bodyand adapted for reception within said recess for yieldingly resistingrotation of said adjusting member and collar, and another pull rodmember comprising an integral jaw at one end thereof, and a threadedportion at the opposite end thereof housed within said adjusting memberin threaded engagement therewith.

3. In a slack adjuster pull rod, a pull rod member comprising connectingmeans at one end thereof, an integral body at the opposite end thereof,an adjusting member rotatable within said body, said adjusting membercomprising a wrench-engaging portion within said body, means foryieldingly resisting rotation of said adjusting member, and another pullrod member compris ing' connecting means at one end thereof and athreaded portion at the opposite end thereof sleeved within saidadjusting member in threaded engagement therewith, said adjusting membercomprising a housing within said body adapted for the reception of theextremity of said threaded portion.

4. In a slack adjuster pull rod, a pull rod member comprising anintegral jaw at one end thereof and an integral body at the opposite endthereof, an adjusting member rotatable within said body, said adjustingmember comprising a wrench-engaging portion, means for yieldinglyresisting rotation of said adjusting member, and another pull rod membercomprising an integral jaw at one end thereof and a threaded portion "atthe opposite end thereof sleeved within said adjusting member inthreaded engagement therewith, said adjusting member comprising ahousing for the reception of the extremity of said threaded portion.

'5.-In a slack adjuster device, a two-piece pull rod, 2. body on one ofsaid pieces, a sleeve rotatable within said body, a threaded portion onthe other of said pieces received within said sleeve in threadedengagement therewith, said sleeve comprising a housing within said bodycompletely enclosing the associated extremity of said threaded portion,and a wrench-engaging portion formed on said sleeve within said body.

6. 1m a slack adjuster pull rod, a pull rod member comprising connectingmeans at one end thereof and an integral body at the opposite endthereof, an. adjusting member rotatable within said body, said adjustingmember comprising a wrench-engaging portion disposed externally oi saidbody, means i'or yieldingly resisting rotation of said adjusting member,and another pull rod inember comprising connecting means at one ,rod, abody on one of said pieces, a sleeve rotatable Within said body, athreaded portion on the other or said pieces received within said sleevein threaded engagement therewith, said sleeve comprising a housingwithin said body completely encasing the associated extremity of saidthreaded portion, and means on said sleeve for rotating the same.

8. In a slack adjuster device, a two-piece pull rod, 2. body on one ofsaid pieces, a sleeve rotatable within said body, a threaded portion onthe other of said pieces received within said sleeve in threadedengagement therewith, said sleeve comprising a housing internally ofsaid body completely encasing the associated extremity of said threadedportion, and a wrench-engaging portion formed on said sleeve externallyof said body,

9. In a slack adjuster, a two-piece pull rod, the respective pieces ofwhich'are provided with connecting means for associated parts, adjustingmeans carried by one of said pieces comprising a pair or" relativelyrotatable members, one of said members being sleeved within the otherand presenting a housing therewithin, and a threaded element on theother piece sleeved within said one member and in threaded engagementtherewith, one extremity of said element being adapted to be encasedwithin said housing.

NORMAN FLESCH.

